| ABRSM’s official Practice Papers are essential resources for candidates preparing for our Music Theory exams. They provide authentic practice materials and a reliable guide to what to expect in the exam. The new papers are selected from the 2019 Music Theory exam papers. Each graded collection contains four papers from the 2019 exams; there is also a corresponding set of Model Answers for each grade. |
The Guitar has always been a great instrument for any music lovers. Its basics are easy to pick up and the instrument is convenient to carry around for any events. Even with the number of YouTube tutorials out there, there is still an ongoing demand to learn the basics through a structured guitar lesson plan to build a strong foundation.
At Ensemble Music, we provide a cosy environment for our students to anchor this foundation through a comprehensive guitar course that covers basic music theory, guitar chords, notes on each string, notes reading, ensemble playing, strumming, picking techniques, various genres and more.
We even provide opportunities for our students to perform at our annual recital to play their favourite songs and boost their stage confidence.
Start your guitar lesson learning journey in Singapore today. Join us NOW
Ukulele is possibly one of the easiest instruments to pick up these days. There is now a great Ukulele movement in Singapore where MOE schools are offering free lessons to mostly upper Primary level students. This sparks off the interests of many kids and they went on to pick up structured Ukulele lessons in Singapore such as those offered by our School.
Ensemble Music Ukulele Course info:
* Selecting your Ukulele
* Tuning your Ukulele
* Strumming with a Pick
* Strumming with fingers
* Strumming notation
* Music theory: Bar lines, measures, Time Signatures etc
* How to read Chord diagrams
* Music notations: I Can Read Notes!
* Scales, tremolo, tablature reading
* Fingerstyle, plucking techniques
* Play popular and pop songs
* Learn Rockschool Ukulele Syllabus & Exam Preparation
Join the great Ukulele movement today, sign up NOW
Are you looking at buying a kids or children guitar for your loved ones?
If so, these are the common questions asked:
1. What guitar size is suitable?
2. Is Acoustic or Classical model better?
3. What wood type is good?
Let’s tackle these questions one by one.
Guitar size chart
Following is a Guide we use when customers step into our shop with their kids. By and large, we find this Guitar size chart pretty accurate:
30 inch (1/4 size) – Age 5 to 7
34 inch (1/2 size) – Age 7 to 9
36 inch (3/4 size) – Age 9 to 13
38 inch (7/8 size) – Age 14 to 20
39–42 inches (Adult sizes) – Age 18 & above
The best way to select is to bring the child along so that he or she could have a feel of the physical size and pick the colour and design they like. If they don’t like it, they won’t play it.
2. Acoustic or Classical model
In simple layman explanation, Acoustic refers to guitars with 6 steel strings with a narrower neck and typically played with a pick or plectrum. It suits those who are more into pop, contemporary, Blues music and those who like to strum and sing. However, the steel strings are more harsh to the fingers and generally Beginners (kids or adults) find it painful to play for too long.
The Classical guitar, as the name suggest is popular with those seeking to play classical pieces, fingerstyle (solo) and flamenco style. No picks or plectrums are used in these styles. The Classical guitar has a much broader neck and comes with 3 steel (bass) strings and 3 nylon (treble) strings. The action is often lower and the nylon strings are more gentle to the “tender” fingers, similar to the Ukulele.
There is no hard-and-fast rule on what’s the best children guitar choice. However, most kids or beginners will find it easier to play on the Classical guitar because of the low action and the ease of playing on nylon strings. My personal take is to go with the Classical guitar for kids under 12 years of age. One important point to note is that it is often easier for a Classical guitar player to take up the Acoustic, but seldom the other way round.
If you are going for the Acoustic type, make sure the strings tension are low so the steel strings “hurt” less for the kids.
3. What wood type is good?
This is extremely subjective. To begin with, there are the solid wood versus the plywood and these days, high quality or high pressured laminates. Most kids guitars are priced under $150 so I wouldn’t be too concerned about the wood type. It is the overall playability that’s more important. Go with laminates for a start and test out the intonation of the guitar and listen to how it sounds.
Check out our kids acoustic and kids classical guitar selections: https://ensemblemusic.com.sg/product-category/instruments/guitars/
Hope this helps!
Are you fretting over what to present for your loved one’s Baby Shower or Birthday event?
There’s always the convenience of offering the Red Packet (Ang Bao), or the common giving of NTUC (or the like) Vouchers. Some prefer to give necessities such as diapers, milk bottles, baby wears etc. However, these items are so personal in many ways that most Parents would prefer to shop for it themselves.
Perhaps you could consider something more unique and tangible such as our High Quality and affordable Mini Digital Piano. It comes with 25-keys (2 octaves) meaning that one could play many kids’ songs with it. It is relatively small and lightweight. Since no stool is required, it is safe to use as you don’t have to worry that the child will fall over.
This Mini Piano requires no maintenance, making it a memorable gift long after the Baby Shower or Birthday event is over.
So, check out this wonderful Baby Shower Gift or Birthday Gift here:
Have you just invested in an expensive piece of Solid Wood string instrument such as a Guitar, Violin or Viola? Good for you!
However, I’m sure we are aware that the humidity level in Singapore is a silent (yet sure) killer to these instruments. No matter how good your hard case is, it is not going to protect your guitar or violin as time goes by. The cases can’t even keep dust out completely! The dehumidifying bags that you placed in your cases have short life spans and no one actually knows how effective they are!
Over time, your instrument is going to expand (bulge), a sign where moisture has set in. Treatment is tricky and may not fully restore its condition. Other materials used in the construction of your instruments include metals such as gold and silver. Metals are less susceptible to breakage, yet high humidity could introduce the adverse effect of corrosion. The best approach is a preventive measure, and the best solution is to keep the instrument in a humidity-controlled environment maintained at 45% – 55% Relative Humidity.
Protect your beloved guitar or violin now, the sooner the better. Our Musical Instruments Dry Cabinets are built with high quality that comes with a limited 5-year warranty. Order them online or contact us if you have any questions.
